A Cortez man is preserving a piece of history that has sailed all over the world.

The 145-year-old ship is in really bad shape, it even sank off the coast of Clearwater. However, Rick Stewart is fixing her up so that her history lives on.

Manatee County resident Rick Stewart is embarking on a unique and historical venture. His mission is to restore and preserve a 145-year-old ship.

The San Francesco, a grand 66-foot wooden schooner built in Italy in 1870 was originally a freighter transporting granite. It transported contraband, including elephant tusks and art. Later, it was captured by the British navy and in 1966 converted into a yacht.

“She was purchased by a wealthy Italian family that put a million dollars into her converting her from a cargo ship into a luxury yacht,” said Stewart.

The San Francesco’s last voyage in 2007 left her in Clearwater where she was neglected. That is until December when Rick bought and brought her by tug boat to Cortez.

“It’s very important to me to restore the vessel and save this wonderful piece of history,” he said.

The San Francesco is in bad shape. Her wood is rotting.

“As you can see it is absolutely useless, it is totally rotten,” he said.

Stewart will have to do a full makeover from top to bottom.

Even in disarray, the ship still holds its elegance and beauty. It has staterooms, bathrooms and a lounge.

“Over there is cabinets and compartments. For dishes, dish storage. And you can see this nice lounge here,” Stewart said as he walked around the lounge equipped with a couch.

Stewart said it will take about three years and $2.5 million to restore the ship to how it looked back when it was a luxury yacht.

He is going to paint it white and gold. Stewart said that white will prevent the wood from cooking in the hot Florida sun. He said once it is competed The San Francesco will stay in Cortez so that everybody can enjoy and learn about the ships history.

“I feel that I have to do this as a way to save craftsmanship,” he said.

Stewart is trying to raise money for the project through private investors.